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U.S. stocks open higher on GE deal

Xinhua, April 10, 2015 Adjust font size:

U.S. stocks opened higher on Friday as General Electric plans on GE Capital sale buoyed the Dow industrials.

General Electric is in focus, after the corporation announced a major restructuring of GE Capital, including the sale of its real estate holdings. GE shares jumped 6.90 percent in early Friday.

Apple' s wearable smartwatch becomes available for pre-order on Friday, ahead of a release date set for April 24. Shares of the tech giant were down 0.49 percent in the early trading.

On economic front, U.S. import prices fell 0.3 percent in March following a 0.2-percent upturn the previous month, the U.S. Labor Department said Friday. The price index for U.S. exports ticked up 0.1 percent, after declining 0.2 percent in February.

Shortly after the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 15.65 points, or 0.09 percent, to 17,974.38. The S&P 500 rose 3.93 points, or 0.19 percent, to 2,095.11. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 7.60 points, or 0.15 percent, to 4,982.16.

U.S. stocks rose mildly on Thursday, as the easing concerns about Greece boosted investor sentiment.

Greece repaid a loan installment worth 458 million euros to the International Monetary Fund on Thursday amidst ongoing efforts to reach a deal to unlock further vital international funding within the next fortnight. Endi